CLAIMS that a town centre is bucking the national trend by actually increasing the number of shops have been queried.

Stockton Borough Council has said that more than 40 businesses have opened, expanded or relocated in the town centre since the beginning of the year.

That contrasts sharply with national figures released by the Local Data Company (LDA) earlier this month which showed that town centre shops were closing at an increasing rate.

The LDA study revealed that there were 964 net closures on high streets across the country from January to September, meaning shops are closing two-and-a-half times more quickly than in 2013 - and claimed that Stockton has the country’s fifth worst figure for empty shops.

According to the council, the picture in Stockton is improving, with 85 per cent of the units on Stockton High Street now occupied and the Castlegate Centre 96 per cent let.

But those figures were questioned by Ukip Stockton borough councillor, Mark Chatburn, who said: "With nearly one in every six units in Stockton town centre vacant, many for a considerable number of years now, there is no room for the complacency shown by Stockton Council.

"The council admits the figure quoted is padded out by including a number of existing businesses who have relocated within the town centre for one reason or another."

The council hit back by issuing a definitive list of all the new businesses, which include 13 relocations from elsewhere in the town centre and two expansions and a new Costa Coffee.

Joanna Wake, leading member of the Stockton Town Team, said some of the confusion was caused by some surveyors, who consistently list Stockton as having a large number of empty shops, having a wider definition of the town centre than just the area around the High Street.

She said that the on-going £20m refurbishment of the town centre was a "massive improvement," and added that Marks and Spencer and the Castlegate Centre are both reporting increased footfall.

Stockton council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport Councillor Mike Smith said: "The town’s physical regeneration will be complete by the spring and confidence in the town centre is continuing to grow."